We were lucky to catch up with Sam Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When you were first starting out, did you join a firm or start your own?

I stumbled upon the real estate business at a fairly young age. Like most people, I did not grow up wanting to become or graduate high school/college and say “I want to be a Realtor”, I started in real estate because of a recruiting call that was meant for someone else. I did not know anything about real estate at the time and thought to myself “sure I’ll give that a shot”. I joined a large national firm not because of the brand or anything in particular other than they were the one to present me this opportunity. I did not have a real estate license when I started out so I worked in numerous administrative roles and numerous departments from assisting the Broker/Owner, the General Manager, the owners spouse who was in production and even accounting and escrow. This helped me tremendously as I not only learned the business from the bottom up but it also helped me realize what parts of the business I liked and disliked. I enjoyed working closely with the Realtors most. I fell in love with the people and then the sales business. I spent my first 18 months with this firm and gravitated to the leadership side of the business. There was a local boutique brokerage that was all the rage and that is where I wanted to be once I discovered this was going to be my career and not just a job. I got my foot in the door with that brokerage by taking a reception position. They realize after about a week that I am clearly equipped to handle more than answering phones. I ended up obtaining my real estate license with them as well as numerous leadership positions that ultimately led to my biggest passion as a leader, coach and recruiter. I am happy for my experience gained and how I entered the real estate industry because it taught me so much more than most agents would ever learn and in a hands on environment. These experiences helped me dramatically when the day came to open my own brokerage about a decade later and a few firms later.

Sam, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I initially set out on a path to be a banker out of high school but I started working in a bank during my senior year of high school and I hated it. That halted my plans for college and I settled into a leadership position running a production crew of 40+ people and earning a spot in the “Who’s Who in the Business World” at the young age of 19. I always gravitated to leadership roles even as a child in sports. We did not grow up wealthy and although we were not at the poverty line, it was close. I was raised by my disabled single mother who was riddled with health issues. I knew that the only way to have a different life for me and my future family was to go create it. I credit my mother and some mentors fro creating a string work ethic from a young age. From landscape jobs with my cousin as a 10 year old to selling baseball cards at the local swap meet and cleaning pools with my friend as a teenager. I held two jobs my senior year and graduated with my class with a near 3.78 GPA after falling behind my sophomore year and being told I would need night school and summer school or I would not graduate with my class. This work ethic and experience has helped me tremendously in my real estate career with working with people, public speaking and my drive for success for myself and others. Helping people change the trajectory of their businesses and their lives to attain the level of success and freedom they desire that many don’t ever get taught.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivot may just be my middle name. I have had to do so numerous times in both business and personal life. Nothing comes easy and nothing stays the same. How one reacts to change is what makes one resilient. One of my early mentors warned me that once I start making “too much” money in the eyes of the ownership or a corporation that my services will be one of the first they look at to cut expenses and just find someone else to do the job for less or not at all any longer because I had done such a good job, He was right, not once but three different times. On one occasion I was smart enough to stop building up others companies and open my own brokerage. The other occasion came recently. I am a slow learner.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Consistent and persistent. Those are the two words I hear often from others. Consistency is the magic pill. It is not easy. There are days I don’t feel like making my calls. If anyone tells you different they are lying to you. I am passionate about what I do. It is that passion that drives me to “want” to keep making my calls. I am also a people person, a high personality. I am a relationship builder so that makes it easier for me. I attribute a lot of my success to caring about and sympathizing with others. When it is the right time, if ever, to be in business together it will happen when it’s the right time. Being persistent is different than annoying someone. I just make myself visible. Staying visible is half the battle because it keeps me top of mind. I don’t argue and try to sell anything. I am no longer tied to the outcome. I have not always been so great at these. Some of that came with experience and some with maturity. Nothing is about me and everything about them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sam.epiquerealty.com/join
• Instagram: instagram.com/sam_rrodriguez
• Facebook: facebook.com/samrrodriguez
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rodriguezsam
• Twitter: twitter.com/epiquesam

Image Credits
Marc Carlini – pink coat photos Semeion Robinson – purple coat photos Alyssa Rodriguez – desert photo and street art photo